Blumenthal
Blumenthal Verdannes '''is an Eladrin alchemist who worked to stop the Tools of the Primordial Ancients from being used by the forces of evil. About '''Race: Eladrin Gender: Male (he / him) Age: Born 394 PR, 71 as of Ancients Alive Appearance Blumenthal is tall and somewhat lanky with a long, bony face and gray pale skin. His hair, which he often wears in a ponytail, is black with a natural bluish-indigo ombre. He is clean shaven. Growing up in a noble-controlled status-centric society he instinctively pays great attention to the style and condition of his clothes, though not to the point of being "impractical, like a noble".. He wears a large, almost elegant overcoat colored with earthy tones of pale green, forest green and pale brown. The coat has a meticulously-stitched bronze-gold trim made from a specialized Orche-Astere plant fiber. This fiber shines brilliantly in the sun, but is barely visible in the dark and under other light sources. The overcoat is also adorned with brass flower-shaped buttons. Beneath the coat Blumenthal wears a neat blue and brown tunic and a sepia-colored ruffled necktie. Across the front of his tunic criss-cross several leather belts and straps; attached to these are various toxin vials and other small items. Bombs are also kept close for convenient use, either in a large satchel string over his back or clipped to his belt. Lastly, Blumenthal wears brown pants that are always well-pressed and dressy leather boots. Personality "Blumy, well... you could always count on him as a friend if you proved yourself trustworthy. But he was right quick to make you his enemy if you didn't. He never agreed with me about his potential as a leader, much as I tried to convince him. He was the engineer, the trapmaker, maybe even the strategist, but never the captain, the leader of others. I suppose he's only become more entrenched in that view, after the Buttercup affair... I hope someone's taught him to be honest with himself, after all this time." - Dahlia, date unknown As befits a rogue, Blumenthal prefers stealth, persuasion, and deceit to outright combat whenever possible. In his view most people are selfish in nature -- and that nature can be exploited if one knows the right words to say. He distrusts those who resort to violence without exploring other options first. He also possesses a strong (and vocal) distaste for the nobility, seeing them as supremely self-serving and inclined to use those beneath them as pawns. To him, titles and structures of power are a fiction constructed so that these people may spend not only their own lives in pursuit of their selfish ends, but the lives of others as well. In his time with AFEW he has been forced to confront his insecurities about his own ability to lead. This has led to moments of indecision and self-doubt when under pressure. He fears making critical mistakes that will cause the death of others that depend on him. In more genial settings, Blumenthal is always quick with a pithy or witty retort. He is not averse to socializing but had grown accustomed to a solitary existence before joining up with his current allies. He is never shy to acknowledge his immense skill as an engineer and alchemist and takes tremendous pride in his homemade "recipes". He relishes the experimentation and creativity involved in his artisanship, though he notably stops short of calling it art. History Blumenthal Verdannes was born to servant-class parents in an ancient Eladrin-settled region of Isonhound known as Orche-Astere. As the son of commoners, he grew up within the noble household served by his parents and was soon ushered into service himself. It was this life that taught him many a useful skill, from correctly setting a table for an Eladrin feast (very difficult) to fixing the machinery of a splendiferous drawbridge. In this role, however, young Blumenthal felt suffocated by boredom. As a young man, Blumenthal reacted to the drudgery of his work by acting out and playing all manner of pranks. Returning from her travels, one noblewoman found her room filled with unexpected guests: a pair of Lily Storks perched on her bedspread, complete with nest and eggs in tow! Another favorite trick was his trademark “stick-on” powdered soap, a bodily cleaning agent that doubled effectively, if often surprisingly, as a cleaning agent. Eventually, Blum learned to reign in his mischievous streak enough to stay out of hot water (notably, not a substance effective in removing said soap). From an early age the young Eladrin also exhibited great passion for chemistry and engineering. This applied especially, as those who knew him well would explain, when destructive items like poisons and explosives were involved. When he came of age, Blumenthal’s aptitude and skills paired with his expertly-faked devotion to servitude granted him access to the position of head butler. He began work under his new master, a noble of the same House who was known by his own (self-granted) title of Ranunkel, Lord of the Buttercups. Ranunkel was a fastidious and demanding Lord: someone who demanded complete fealty in every gesture and, if denied it, always had a plan to replace the offender. Though adept at the performance of politeness, Blum’s true feelings often shone through in passive-aggressive comments and words whispered under breath. The high-ranking servant and his master often butted heads, but Blum’s unquestionably excellent job performance preserved his job security. Still, the Eladrin continued to find his working life extraordinarily dull. This led him to pursue other job opportunities in secret, as Eladrin in Orche-Astere society are freely allowed. However, without noble blood or the blessing of anyone of importance in his House or others, he found opportunities for his skills on the market to be few and far-between. His seeking, however, led him into the welcoming arms of some like-minded scientist types. Together, these Eladrin had begun a secret community devoted to unsanctioned experimentation and scientific discovery. Interests within this community were diverse; members worked toward developing new arcane elixirs, tinkering with wild inventions, and pushing their limits with mind-altering substances. Blumenthal’s niche, of course, was the creation of a wide range of toxins and bombs. Still, their shared purpose as pioneers of forbidden realms within science and engineering united them. The group’s de facto leader, Dahlia, herself working to concoct new and rare medicines, often stressed this commonality. She and Blum went on to form a fast and enduring friendship, one that would shape their lives in the years to come. The group continued to grow, later adopting the moniker of the “Dandy Lions” – pesky weeds looked down upon in favor of flora more “proper” and “beautiful”. However, this growth contributed to a greater need for raw and expensive materials. Blumenthal’s position in turn proved to be a great asset in acquiring such items discretely. Other Dandy Lions were unfortunately not so inconspicuous in their thefts, leading to the discovery and disbanding of the group by some nobles. Many of those caught were reprimanded and banished from there Houses. Ranunkel, in contrast, took a different tack. Recognizing the usefulness of certain types of experimentation to his own goals, he allowed Blum and a few other Lions to continue their work in secret, under the condition that his noble family would enjoy sole access to the fruits of their labor. As a result, Blumenthal’s role evolved: he was to continue as Ranukel’s butler by day but serve as his private saboteur by night. At the noble’s direction, Blumenthal conducted countless operations of espionage and sabotage. This most often entailed simple spycraft and reconnaissance, but sometimes escalated to violent acts toward rivals and, with increasing frequency, outright assassination. These killings would often make use of Blum’s homebrewed explosives or toxins and were consequently covered up to appear as accidents. The end goal of such missions was to raise the status of Ranukel’s noble family and its allies, or to remove obstacles from their way in their pursuit of greater power within their House. This type of violent jockeying for position among nobility is common in Orche-Astere, and Blumenthal’s natural gifts made him uniquely suited for the task. Blumenthal gradually tired of the narrowness and pointless violence of his saboteur role. His boredom was surely accelerated by the increasing demands and creative control his master exerted upon him. The tipping point was a hit job conducted by Blumenthal and a few other saboteurs that were under the secret employment of Ranukel’s allies. The team of saboteurs had concocted a plan for the mission, utilizing Blumenthal’s patented adhesive bombs as a central part of the hit. Ranukel, to Blumy’s immense frustration, overruled their plan and substituted one of his own. This proved deadly, as the assassination failed and two of the members of the hit squad (both former Dandy Lions) were killed. Blumenthal, convinced of his master’s ineptitude and lack of respect for his work and comrades, conspired with old friend Dahlia to kill his master and afterward flee Orche-Astere altogether. The staged accident -- for which, of course, the pair made extensive use of Blum’s adhesive bombs -- was a success. Dahlia, however, reneged on her promise to run away together, leaving Blumenthal to escape on his own. Her whereabouts are unknown to him to this day. Working as a saboteur for hire, Blum traversed his way along the coasts of Isonhound, Pteris and eventually western Amusa, until the fateful day he arrived at the great gates of Galik.